Prescott Valley Police to Verify Burglar Alarms Before Responding

Prescott Valley residents and business owners should be aware of a new policy regarding burglar alarms.

As of January 1, police officers will stop responding to burglar alarms unless they are “verified.” This is part of a new plan called Verified Alarm Response, which was designed to reduce false alarm calls and free up resources to respond to emergencies. Now, when an alarm company calls police, verification will be required that a crime, attempted crime, or other emergency is happening or about to occur. Witnesses or a remote audio-video security system can confirm the alarm is legitimate.

In 2016, Prescott Valley Police Department officers responded to 772 burglar alarms, 766 of which were false. The resources required to respond to these false alarms could pay for another police officer.

A temporary 24-hour phone line has been set up for residents to leave questions or other messages about the new ordinance. Call 928-772-5650 and your message will be returned.

I am a multimedia journalist and proud graduate from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication. I am originally from Minnesota, and I love learning about my second home, Arizona, and all of it's awesome communities through my contributions to My Local News! When I was a little girl, I created my own "newspaper" for my neighborhood and spent all my time writing, printing and sending each edition to my loyal subscribers (AKA my family and neighbors!). Now, it's a dream come true to be able to write everyday and have a positive impact on communities through my reporting. In my free time, I love to travel, hike, cook and spend time with my family and friends.